A driver extricated from a coach bus with passengers aboard has died after he rear-ended a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 south in Norwalk on Wednesday, state police said.
Hackenstack, New Jersey resident Henry J. Woolfson, who would have turned 32 on Thursday, was driving the bus owned by Rc Travelways Inc., based in Orlando, Florida, when he was killed in the crash.
Crews responded to the highway between exits 15 and 15 at 3:19 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving initial reports that a bus and dump truck were involved in a motor vehicle crash and that the bus driver was pinned, fire officials said.
When Norwalk firefighters arrived, they learned a coach bus ran into the back of a Trucking Experts tractor-trailer and the bus driver was stuck inside the vehicle. The bus had 42 adult passengers aboard, mostly from the New Jersey area, who were traveling from Boston to New York City at the time of the crash.
Crews took 15 minutes to extricate the busdriver, who was then transported to Norwalk Hospital with injuries and he was listed in serious condition. He later died at the hospital.
Eighteen of the 42 passengers were taken to Norwalk and Stamford hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Crews from area towns also responded and the firefighters assisted the bus passengers at the scene.
Local
Ambulances from Norwalk, Darien, Wilton, Westport and AMR responded to transport the wounded bus passengers.
Norwalk Fire Department brought 13 firefighters to the scene.
Connecticut state police are investigating the cause of the crash and an accident reconstruction team also responded.
Norwalk police advised motorists to avoid the area, as all lanes but the shoulder were closed down for about four hours.
The highway was fully reopened at 9 p.m.
